The extracellular surface of eukaryotic cells contain many different types of surface molecules and adhesion proteins ranging in size from a few nm to >100 nm in length. SEM examination of the surface of cell membranes processed by standard methods, which includes fixation, dehydration and critical point drying, has often revealed artifacts, such as smooth cellular surfaces possessing small holes approximately 2-30 nm in diameter. Obtaining high resolution SEM images on cellular surfaces and molecules (bulk sample) is quite different from that of imaging thin samples at nm level resolution due to the large size and nature of the sample. Platelets and Jurkat cell were used in this study for recognition of individual surface molecules by cryo-SEM.